By Pieter Ijsselstein B.A. MSc. MBA
Pieter Ijsselstein is the founder of the Island Potato Soap Company, which developed and commercially produced a potato-based soap product launched in 2016 in Prince Edward Island.
In June 2016, the Island Potato Soap Company launched a potato-based bar soap using cull and unharvested potatoes sourced from Prince Edward Island farms. The product and its sustainability model were featured in a CBC News interview conducted by Mitch Cormier on June 14, 2016, at the manufacturer’s home in Hope River, PEI. The coverage highlighted the use of potatoes that would otherwise be discarded and emphasized agricultural waste reduction and value-added production.
At that time, the Island Potato Soap Company described its production model as using cull potatoes and field leftovers as part of a broader sustainability initiative focused on turning agricultural by-products into value-added goods. This documentation remains part of the public record.
In April 2025, a student team from the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI), operating under the Enactus program, won a regional competition for a project called “Spuds2Suds,” involving the collection of unharvested potatoes to produce soap. UPEI’s media release quoted Enactus PEI co-presidents Maggie McNeil and Samuel Harding, who described the project as the result of “three months of brainstorming” and highlighted the development of potato-based soap as an innovation. The release was later reproduced in third-party publications.
One international publication, ARGENPAPA, titled its coverage: “Innovations: The first soap made from discarded potatoes.” The headline reflected how the project was publicly framed in external reporting as a novel or first-of-its-kind innovation.
No acknowledgment of prior commercialization by the Island Potato Soap Company appeared in the original university or related media materials. UPEI academic integrity policies emphasize attribution of prior work where applicable. The absence of attribution has raised concerns regarding academic standards and transparency.
After concerns were raised with UPEI and Enactus Canada, an editor’s note was proposed in February 2026 that would acknowledge that potato-based soap production had previously been developed and commercially produced on Prince Edward Island by the Island Potato Soap Company. A later amendment to the proposed note was not implemented. The expanded version would have also addressed novelty framing in third-party publications, unsubstantiated scientific descriptions such as references to vitamin content and collagen promotion, and the potential for consumer confusion regarding the composition and properties of potato-based soap products. UPEI declined to incorporate these additional concerns into the scope of the correction, and has since indicated it considers the matter closed. No publicly accessible version of an editor’s note has been identified.
While the proposed editor’s note was described in correspondence as a step toward clarification, it has not been reflected in publicly accessible materials. Several broader questions remain:
- Whether the original communications accurately reflected existing local innovation
- Whether the omission of attribution may have contributed to perceptions of novelty
- Whether judges and competition participants were aware of prior documented activity
- Whether branding similarities raise potential consumer perception issues
The Island Potato Soap Company emphasizes that student innovation in agricultural repurposing is positive and encouraged. However, where a concept has prior documented commercial history, acknowledgment of that work is central to academic integrity, entrepreneurial ethics, and public trust.
This situation also raises questions concerning academic attribution standards. UPEI academic integrity policies emphasize attribution of prior work. Determinations of compliance are ultimately institutional matters; however, attribution remains a foundational principle of academic and professional practice.
In addition, certain scientific descriptions appearing in UPEI’s media materials and subsequent coverage were presented without supporting citations in the materials reviewed. No supporting citations were included in the materials examined.
Under Health Canada’s cosmetic regulations, manufacturers and brand owners are responsible for ensuring that claims made about a cosmetic product are truthful, not misleading, and supported by adequate evidence prior to publication. Where such claims appear in institutional communications and are subsequently reproduced across third-party platforms, the reach of those descriptions extends beyond the original publication context.
In this case, descriptions of the product’s properties that appeared in the original media release continue to circulate through third-party publications that have not been updated. Even where the original institutional materials have been removed, the claims remain publicly accessible in their original form. No steps have been identified to correct or update those third-party reproductions. The expanded editor’s note, which would have addressed these third-party reproductions directly, was not accepted as part of the final resolution.
The matter ultimately touches on broader issues of responsible communication, fact-checking, accurate scientific representation, and attribution in academic and entrepreneurial environments.
The Island Potato Soap Company and its affiliated business, Welcome to Natural Products Inc., remain committed to sustainable innovation, transparent communication, and responsible product development on Prince Edward Island.
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